Conveyer.



No. 685,402. Patented on. 29, |90|.'-y

- s. a. HOWE.

CONVEYER.

. (Application filed Oct. 27, 1900., (N o M o d at.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLENN G. HOWE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE EVVARTMANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

C O N V EY E R SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,402,dated October 29, 1901.

Application filed October 27, 1900. Serial No. 34,603. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- 7

Be it known that I, GLENN G. HOWE, of Indianapolis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, havev invented a new and useful Improvementin Conveyors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view showingtwo slats of a conveyor provided with my improved chain. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of two of the links, one of them partly broken away. Fig.3 is a section on the line III III of Fig. 2.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of chain conveyorsin which crossslats of wood or metal are carried by and between twoparallel chains and are supported by insertion of their ends in slottedlinks of both chains. Difficulty has been experienced in the use ofthese chains in replacing slats which happened to be broken or injured,for heretofore the only way in which a new slat could be substituted fora broken one has been by spreading the two chains apart latorallysufficiently to permit the insertion of the ends of the slat; but in sodoing the adjacent slats were also apt to fall out and could not easilybe replaced.

My-invention entirely obviates this difficulty and renders the replacingof the slats a simple and convenient matter. For this purpose I providechains having, in combination with the slotted links in which the endsof the slats are carried, intermediate links made in sections which aredetachable, so as to free the slotted links to which they are connected,and thus to enable the slotted links to be placed upon the slat or slatswhich are to be inserted in the conveyor, said sections being providedwith easily-detachable fastening de vices, by which they are heldtogether.

In the drawings, in which I show the proferable form of my invention, 22 represent the slotted links which carry the ends of the slats, and 3 3are the intermediate detachable links which are adapted to engage theteeth of the sprocket-wheels by which the conveyor is operated. Thesections of each of the links 3 3 are separable from each other in alateral 5o direction, the two sections 19 c of which it is composedbeing preferably interfitted at the end bars by tongues d d, fittingwithin sockets e e. I prefer to form a socket e on the section 0 at oneend of the link and on the section b at the other end of the link.

, If now any one of the slats 4 needs to be replaced, instead of havingto spread the two chains B C of the conveyor it is only necessary todetach the sections of the two links 3 adjacent to one end of the slatby cutting off the heads of the rivets 5, and when these are detachedthe intermediate slotted link 2 may be drawn out laterally, so that itmay receive the end of the new slat without disturbing any of the otherslats. After the insertion of the new slat the detachable links 3 3 canbe readjusted without difficulty.

Within the scope of my invention as dofined in the claim changes may bemade in the form and construction of the links without departure from myinvention, since What I claim is- A conveyor-chain having solid linkspro vided with lateral openings adapted to receive slats,andintermediate links made of separable sections and having openingsadapted to pass over the teeth of sprocket-wheels, the last-named linksbeing provided with easi1y-detachable means-by which the sections areheld together; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand. H

GLENN G. HOWE.- Witnosses:

THOMAS W. BAKEwEnn, L. G. Howu.

